Meditation and Its Mental and Physical Health Benefits in 2023
Author: Aneeque Jamil1, Sai Dheeraj Gutlapalli1,2, Marya Ali3, Mrinal J P Oble1, Shamsun Nahar Sonia4, Sherie George5, Srushti R Shahi6, Zahra Ali6,7, Abdelrahman Abaza8, Lubna Mohammed1
Affiliation:
1 Internal Medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.
2 Internal Medicine Clinical Research, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.
3 Psychiatry, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.
4 Internal medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.
5 General Medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.
6 Medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.
7 Medicine, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, California, USA.
8 Pathology, California Institute of Behavioral Neurosciences & Psychology, Fairfield, USA.
Conference/Journal: Cureus
Date published: 2023 Jun 19
Other:
Volume ID: 15 , Issue ID: 6 , Pages: e40650 , Special Notes: doi: 10.7759/cureus.40650. , Word Count: 176
This article discusses the power of meditation and how beneficial it is for the body. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown many positive brain changes and improved several brain functions. Meditation has several benefits improving the immune system and inflammatory processes by decreasing cytokine; appropriate telomere shortening also has helped healthy aging. Regarding physical health, meditation has been beneficial in various multi-factorial diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and fibromyalgia. It has also helped bring down blood cholesterol levels and increase high-density lipoproteins (HDL) levels. Improvement was also seen in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Mental health is another aspect influenced by meditation, as positive emotion brought about by meditation helps address various mental problems like social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Overall, it seems to have some impact in all health areas. However, the magnitude of its effect is not known. More diverse and detailed studies should yield more beneficial clinical outcomes.
Keywords: meditation; meditation and genetics; meditation and immunology; meditation and mental health; meditation and physical health.
PMID: 37476142 PMCID: PMC10355843 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.40650
BACK
